Paranormal Activity, or, Possibly the Scariest Movie Ever Made and The Best Reason to Wear Diapers at the Cinema February 18, 2008

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m an enormous fan of horror movies. Good, bad, I’ll watch just about anything; there’s a reason I own every single Puppet Master film, even though the vast majority of them aren’t any good. There’s just something about them that pushes my buttons every single damn time, but the strange part? It’s not because they scare me. I’m hardly ever scared watching a horror flick. In fact, I can only name a few that have truly frightened me — Jaws (as a child) and The Blair Witch Project (as a teenager). Last night, kt and I attended the San Francisco Independent Film Festival and added a new one to the list: Paranormal Activity.

“A young couple suspects that their house is haunted by a malevolent entity. They set up video surveillance to capture evidence of what happens at night as they sleep. Their surveillance and home videos have been edited into the 99 minute feature film Paranormal Activity.”

The film plays into today’s popular style of filming from the perspective of your everyman (in this case, a couple that’s living together — one a student, the other a work-from-home day trader) to ground the audience in a reality that’s not achievable with the traditional Hollywood style. That works for me; it was great, if a tad unrealistic, in Cloverfield and was the whole reason The Blair Witch Project was so effective. I was a little offput in the first few minutes, however, when the film attempted to claim the preceding events were real, thanking local authorities for handing over the footage. Ugh. Maybe this movie wasn’t going to be hokey, after all?

No. The movie drops the “lost footage” pretense the moment the footage starts rolling and goes through the typical motions of establishing a relationship with our characters, so that we’ll eventually buy into their fear as the events around them transpire. Thankfully, we’re completely sold on their affection for each other, as they express all the dynamics of a relationship’s day-to-day ups and downs. They’re actually pretty funny, too, which is a plus, and releases the shitload of tension the audience has after each nightly “haunting.”

Paranormal Activity’s narrative is split between day scenes when the couple reacts to what happened the night before and night scenes where a camera is setup on a tripod to record the hauntings. I could spoil every single one of the hauntings and you’d be just as terrified, but much of the fun comes from not knowing what the fuck will happen next and how the situation is going to escalate; often times, they’ll go whole nights without anything happening, prompting the viewers to constantly get riled up. Maybe something will happen, maybe it won’t.

The hauntings themselves start with the staples — lights going on and off, doors opening and shutting, footsteps — and escalates to the point that you’re almost afraid it’s going to become silly and lose the magic (a rather terrifying dose of magic), but it remains grounded and continues to fuck with your head in such a brutal and relentless fashion. You may not believe in ghosts, but this movie will make you scared as fuck at the possibility they are around us. kt and I were gripping each other’s hands to the point of pain during every night encounter, and that’s no joke. Paranormal Activity is not for the weak hearted and is one of the few films that stays with you after you’ve left the theater to the point that you wished it wouldn’t.

The amount of alcohol we drank afterwards was directly to proportional to our desire to simply pass out and not think about the movie in our apartment. As I was typing this very entry up, I went and turned on all the lights and goosebumps line my arms. I can’t oversell this movie enough, and if you have any opportunity to see Paranormal Activity in the future, take it.

Paranormal Activity is our generation’s The Exorcist, and that is not a comparison I make lightly.

This movie scared the bahjeesus out of me. I don’t watch horror films often, but for some reason I could not resist Paranormal Activity. I am glad I saw it because it was a real thrill. There was a moment when the fear factor of the film peaked for me and for a brief moment I felt the fear go to the edge of my skull. I hope Dreamworks handles this film with care.

oh dear lord. i had such a scary dream about this frackin’ movie. AND THEN i woke up scared as shit. couldn’t wake up my fellow bed partner, i didn’t want to scare him too. so instead, i tossed and turned for over an hour, heart racing and heavily breathing. finally i just went to my living room to watch some tv. the sun started to rise and i felt safe. this movie is going to haunt me for awhile.

This movie is scary only if you can believe in the whole “lost footage” gimmick. If not, you’ll probably find the movie a little boring. That being said, the movie is very good at creating a sense of dread and suspense.

I managed to catch this movie. Sure it’s scary stuff and I’ve seen my fair share of paranormal films, but I think it loses something in the fact that it’s all fiction. I know thats the in thing at the moment with these documentary style movies like Cloverfield and Blair Witch, but it’s still fiction. I recently saw The Ghosts of Crowley Hall which is a real documentary movie, and that really did scare me senseless. And I think part of that is the fact that it really did happen. These two movies are very similar, but I know which I would pick. Sorry, Paranormal Activity just didn’t do it for me.

Hey Davey, thanks for the recommendation; I’ll be checking out The Ghosts of Crowley Hall soon. Too bad it’s not available via Netflix. Could you share how you managed to see the movie? I’ve been desperate to show other people the flick; it’s been almost a year!

Hey pk. The DVD has been out since last year and is available from the official site. You can also download it from there too. It’s on Amazon also. I bought the DVD as it’s got some xtras on there. Here’s the link http://www.crowleyhallghosts.com/

Hey how come it wasn’t playing in DC Because thats where I’m from and man let me tell you I like scary movie with evil demons spirits ghost so nothing can scare me….trust me thats all I watch is horror.thats washington DC.please come to our town our city.

I CAN NOT WAIT TO SEE THIS MOVIE, I was RAISED on horror movies, name it i saw it my mom reads all scary books of course steven king she had us kids watch scary movies since i was 6 and so on always had nightmares my whole family believes in ghosts and has experienced them and once had to get an exorcism on one of my houses and wigi bords all that good shit. SO i am STOKED to see this movie and i know my mom and sisters will be too, im seeing it friday with some friends some friends so im excited to see if it scares me! Because i was born around scary movies and parnormal activity! WOOT!

Just watched the film.. If you get car sick or dizzy of amusement rides, beware! I spent most of the movie covering my eyes due to the filming moving around sooooo much.. I felt like i was riding a spinning ride the whole time.
If you buy into the film, it is very freaky.. but don’t sit tooo close!!!

This movie is super scary i dont care what othe people say. I saw it three days ago and still have not had a full night sleep. I keep waking uo thinking that something “PARANORMAL” is going to happen. Seriously I have seen lots and lots of scary movies and really never been scared. I was looking for something to scare the s***t aout of me and never happened and trust me i complained a lot after watching these movies. But after I saw Paranormal Activity I must say i have been so scared that i cant even sleep. So plz dont say its trash cuz it really isnt. Its worth watching but unless u really want to be scared dont watch it cuz i did and i regret it cuz i am scared as fuck. Seriously………..

its because everyone is used to all the other stupid horror flicks with the original chain saw or knife. du nuhh! here comes scream!!! shhesh ya know what i mean….come on…this stuff is like real. thats the scariest thing of all.

Now, I saw it today for the first time ever in theaters. I’m 14, so you think I’d have the crap scared outta me, right? I love scary movies personally, and I would choose them over any kinds. What truely made this movie scary was how closely bonded the audiance and the characters are. And the way that the movie was set, documentary, was extremely effective. I wish it wouldve been longer, though. The fact that the movie was NOT-HOLLYWOOD made it a million times better. Its my favorite movie, and its all ive been thinking about today. i strongly recommend seeing it. its the best scary movie out there, and the fact that its so realistic makes it worse. it doesnt go beyond believeable like every other movie, but it stays within reality and leaves you on the edge of your seat. the ending was truely the scariest part, and will stick with me. but the fact that the movie eases in and out of the chill factor makes it nail-biting. you never know when something is gonna happen. you can tell by the rumble in the theaters that something will happen, but it gives you a minute to guess what will happen before it does. that adds to the effect. the movie is totally creeper-status. i loved it and i recommend it to everyone. and its even funny just to give you a break…just so you can settle into the movie. nice addition. this movie is offically the best movie ive ever seen. 6/5 stars. no joke. i recommend it to everyone. EVERYONE. this independant film beats every movie in the horror genre. hollywood or not. i hope you guys all enjoy it as much as i do.

I would have to agree with Dennis. As soon as the movie started to pick up, it ended. I jumped once but I totally think the previews made it out to be more than what it was. I laughed more than anything.

I was let down. But see for yourselves, I guess everyone has a different opinion.

I dragged my boyfriend to the movies with me to see this today. He had never watched a trailer fro the movie so he wasn’t sure what to expect. I told him that it was said to be the scariest movie of the century but it could also be the next blair witch. At the beginning it didn’t hold my attention at all. i couldn’t get into it. When the night scenes came up i knew i needed to be prepared so i held on for dear life. but then there were night scenes where nothing happened at all. so of course by the next night scene i was expecting nothing and jumped 10 feet when something happened. i must admit i love scary movies but none have them have made me this creeped out. I was sitting in the garage and i jumped when i heard the wind bang against the door. It was a fantastic film. It could have had a better beginning but otherwise it was a 10/10!

to these goddamned dicks, i did my time on figuring out these stupid bitch ass website.. the links on them are real but the survey shit is fake. what i did was scrolled down to where you could see the website and would this link… : http://stagevu.com/video/asytmqyxcxhy
it works! i swear. im will to give you all my email to prove it. but thats another day. so ignore these stupid bitches and go to this website. 100% good. quality, ehh its okay. not the best but ive already put it on dvd. i should upload it myself. have fun. scary movie

o.m.g. sorry for all those typos. im an idiot. lol. what i did was hit Print-Screen on my keyboard as soon as i saw the link and pasted it in Paint. went to it, and it works. you actually get to watch the movie. promise!

So, I’m a wuss, every horror movie scares me, but this more than others. One, the girl being haunted shares me name, and two, it has that realistic feel. Also, the lack of “scary music” makes all the scary parts unexpected.
To be honest, I had my eyes closed and ears covered for most of the movie, but the ending STILL scared the crap out of me (even though I didn’t technically see it) and even the ghetto dudes sitting next to me were saying “This shit ain’t funny anymore, I can’t watch this anymore!” And by the end of the movie I was shaking and whimpering and crying. This was almost a week ago and I’m still scared to be alone in the house, and trying to sleep is kind of hard. If you’re into scary movies (I’m not) I suggest seeing it.

I just watched this film and truthfully no film has ever scared me as this movie has. I almost lost my mind when it grabbed her leg and dragged her off to the other room. I unfortunately have had experiences in the past but they happened when I was a young boy. This movie is going to be seen by my whole family they have to. They will relive some of the experiences we have had in the past.

I just saw it. It was creepy, being 100% true and all, but it actually wasn’t scary. It made me jump once or twice, and it was certainly creepy, but only a little scary. Then again, I’ve never really seen a scary movie. Not in the sense I don’t watch them, I watch all kinds of horror movies; in the sense that none of them is scary. But just the way this is made, paramount edited the order of the scenes, no filming for the creation of the movie, is fucking creepy and fucking awesome

I saw it a few nights ago with my little cousin and my older sister.We were soooo scarred!I was at the point to were my head was tucked into my coat and holding onto my little cousins hand as tight as I could.But um soo I know this might sound stupid but um this movie isnt real is it? o.o….

WOW. Im going tuesdatnite with complete strangers. whol hold my hand . havnt heard much but looking 4 ward 2 it. No I dont usually write like this but wanted to keep the theme going. I am going with a friend of my daughters Husband and teenage Sons. Wish me luck. I am 66 and love a GOOD scare. By from Australia . L8TA. JAY DEE.

Saw the movie last night, its very similiar to alot Ive been through and fought throughout my life, interesting movie.. If anyone is interested to talk about this type of stuff, you can ask me at Derikmcintosh@hotmail.com

Saw the movie last night, its very similiar to alot Ive been through and fought throughout my life, interesting movie.. If anyone is interested to talk about this type of stuff just contact me on email

Holy. I cannot describe to you how afraid of THE WORLD i am right now. I dragged my boyfriend to the theater to see it because i didnt understand all the freakin hype about it. Now i do. Im not one for scary movies and i have had my experiences in the past with hauntings. This crap isnt funny this is real. If youre into scary movies this is definitley your movie. But to people like me who cant sleep for days or be alone for days after stuff like this…. this is NOT your kind of movie. I cried… a few times. Havent been this worked up over a scary movie since i was like ten. I refuse to go home tonight cause the boyfriend isnt home to sleep with me. I refuse to be alone. This movie will SCAR you for life im not joking.

i know right im exactly like you to the T i cant sleep alone im scared out of my mind uuuh lol. shit i watched it during the day though and i was still scared haha man silence scares me now i have a wait a few days till i can close my door again because i like sleeping with my door close and in the complete dark im usually bymyself too i live with my cuzin so its just us and if shes gone i got no one to run too i am soo scared any noise i hear im like wtf is that lol. like my fucken blinds just move and my front doors open but there no wind what so ever and all the windows are closed lol. im just phsycing myself out i think lol. ok well just wanted to let u know ur not alone i am probly doing the same thing you are right now freaking out lol.k byeee!!

I just saw the movie and thought it was the lamest film since blair witch. There was nothing scary except the final ending i thought it was a waist of time and money. It was just another predictable low budget film. I give it a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10

I can’t agree with you more. I’m not what you would call a hardcore horror movie enthusiast, but I’ve seen my fair share of horror movies.

All I can say about Paranormal Activity is that it has affected me in a way I never thought possible. During the movie, I gripped the armrest of my chair to where it hurt my hands. Not to mention, I was breathing heavy (which I’ve never done before in a movie).

When leaving the theater, my friend and I agreed that were were TREMBLING with fear. Neither of us have been that scared in our entire lives. I’m still astonished in regards to the fact that a movie did this…

I decided not to to go home and sleep alone, so I accompanied my friend back to his place and TRIED to sleep. I had nothing but pure adrenaline going through my body from 12am to 6am and got no sleep. As a result, I suffered from dehydration and low blood-sugar, I had to buy a powerade in the morning.

It’s been 3 days since I’ve seen it and when night time comes around, I tend to think about it more and more and my level of relaxation goes out the window and I need to take anti-nausiants to help me sleep.

I can definitely say this movie is a brilliant film and recommend it only to those who are not of the weak-hearted or with overactive imaginations. This movie WILL scare and possible traumatize you.

this movie was one of the scarest movies i have seen in a long time. the funny thing is that i deal with ghost daily. i am co founder to a paranomal group that is based out of south lyon michigan. the group is called SLAPS and has been around for about two years now. so a movie like this has me thinking about what kind of stuff i am getting into…..

I agree. Not scary at all unless you are scared of getting motion sickness. I had to close my eyes but it was just because the annoying camera work made me so carsick. what a waste of a halloween afternoon.

Most all movies don’t scare me… Usually the ones that do scare me are GHOST stories, PARANORMAL movies, etc… Saw and Jason movies are not scary… This movie is soooo creepy and scary. Were any of the scenes in the movie real?? Also was this made at there real home, were they a real couple, etc? The movie was quite funny, but also scary because you feel bad for the girl, she becomes quite likeable in the movie so yep it’s DEFINITELY worth seeing,,, but I never have to sleep with my mom but I don’t know about to night, I may jump in the bed with her, if I haven’t calmed down by tonight….

ok so nice lanugage very perfessional but descrete i like it lol. ok so im literally watching this fucking movie right now omfg this movie is so scary like wtf ok i get scared for any little thing so im freaked out so bad right now i just wanna know is this movie real or fake. and she freaken killed her husband omg wtf!!!!!!!

oh oh i have one more thing to say ok soo i was like 12 i think dont really remember my age but i specificly remember this night i was getting ready to go to sleep trying to fall asleep i was just tired my mom n family were in the living room and my mom was cooking dinner i swear to you i was completley awake ok so i was laying in my bed and my bed started shaking really hard and i swear i looked around it was just my bed it kept shaking and shaking finally as it was still shaking i jumped off my bed ran out to my parents and they are perfectly fine my moms cooking dinner my dad and brothers are sitting on the couch son i was confused i asked them did you guys feel that they looked at me crazy they said feel what i said the earthquick there was an earthquick it just happened my bed was shaking alot like litterally moveing they said no anna you must of dreamed it i said no not possible i havent even fell asleep yet i was wide awake when it started i jumped off when it was still shaking and i thought it had stoped when i came out because u guys were acting like nothing they just kept telling me no so i was freaked out ever since slept with y door open. lol. just thot id share. maybe paranormal is real idk??????

The movie really isn’t scary at all. May be ppl not accustomed to horror movies find such stuff scary. I found the movie quite lame.
Don’t wanna dampen your spirit.
May be the weak hearted wld find it scary and scoopy.

Haha movie was alright for a budget film a few times throughout the movie i picked up on body language ques and how they were interacting that i thought they were just actors by the way the movie isn’t even out in my country and i knew nothing of this film until watching it. A friend gave it to me and said its some thriller/horror and I watched it on Halloween ahaha.

Good movie but no joke this sort of shit does happen i haven’t experienced it to this effect how they are going about it in the film but any one that is open minded has had some experience with spirits etc but this movie is going with a entity which is in whole different level. By the way wasn’t that movie poltergeist based of a true story?

i have heard a mix-up of different possiblities. i watched the movie last nite (halloween) and then was absolutly terrified of my attic. anyways, the movie is portrayed and based on true events of the writer of the film, i think. i’ve also heard that this movie is too real to make up. i am a believer in the fiction enveloped around some truth.

It’s made clear that it’s Not Real and if you wait til the end of the movie you would see a statement that says “All the characters and events portrayed in the photoplay are ficticious” and are the Sole property of the those who actually shot the footage. The statement at the start of the film was just to add the Scare Factor and obviously it worked!

The movie is good if you are under 16 years old…..if not don t bother, or just watch the first 15min and you ll get the idea. When the movie ended I was like : That’s it??? it doesn t satisfy u in term of story and action.

Paranormal Activity was not all that scary i kinda laughed during the movie i have no idea why but it did not scare me. Okay maybe that night i finished watching i realized that my room looks kind of like there’s except mines has some extra things to it. Still that creeped me out but i soon got over it. I wouldnt suggest anyone see this film

This is the scariest movie I’ve ever seen… after I saw it was was completely terrified. I was afraid to go to bed… I fell asleep thinking about it. I would often wake up and turn on the lights, get my cat and shut the door. This lasted for months, but I’m only 12. After my brother forced me to watch this, I’m now scared to see any other horror film. I usually forget about it in an hour, but this stayed with me. The only good side is I can tell my friends I’ve watched this… I recommend you don’t watch this unless you love horror films.

I watched it last night as well, I was wondering if this is real footage or fake. It wasnt as scary and interesting tho as I thought it was going to be, But I dont ever watch scary movies by for some strange reason i wanted to see th is one. I couldnt get to sleep for the longest time afterwards.. What creeped me out the most was reading the end of the movie where it documets they found the guys body days later and the where abouts of katie is still unknown. is that part true or not??? That kind freaked me out not knowing that part.
Hope someone can answer my post.

actually this is a boring movie; its too lengthy and not at all scary; i don’t get it that when something wrong happens in the house, who would still live there, this doesnt look real.
i love horror movies and this is one of the bad ones i have watched

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